Over 30 topics to be covered at reconvened A5 public inquiry

Stage three of the re-convened A5 Public Inquiry will hear submissons on more than 30 different aspects of the £1.6bn dual carriageway.

Preparations are currently being made by those in favour and against the project – which was first agreed upon more than 15 years ago.

Members of the Alternative A5 Alliance and the ‘Enough is Enough’ Tyrone GAA campaign are both expected to make contributions to the Public Inquiry, due to resume on Monday, May 15 at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh.

It is understood that legal representatives and members from Tyrone GAA will be among those participating in the inquiry, which is the third to take place regarding the road scheme.

In addition to environmental aspects, the first week of hearings will also focus on traffic, cultural heritage, landscape and visual effects, the impact on local communities, an assessment of the effect on local businesses and agriculture.

There will then be hearings on road safety, North/South links, journey times, an economic appraisal and the implications of the proposed road on an All-Island Strategic Rail Review.

The penultimate day of hearings will then study alternatives to the road, before the close of the inquiry on Friday, June 2. It will then be up to the Commissioner to submit their report to the Department for Infrastructure, whose minister will have the ultimate decision on whether or not to recommend approval for the road.